New Year's Resolution
by 123HSMluver
Summary: They met at a ski lodge, and both felt something change as soon as they met eyes for the first time. Laughter, text messages, deep and meaningful conversations...it's a night where anything can happen. Troyella. ONESHOT


**AN: Hey guys! This is just a small idea I've had floating in my head for years, now, so I thought I'd share it. This was meant to happen in between the kareoke session and Gabriella's move to New Mexico, obviously. A glimpse into them breaking the status quo, as it were! Let me know your thoughts!**

Gabriella sat back in her hotel room, book gripped against her knees. It was open to a page but she wasn't even looking at it. For once in her life, all motivation to read was completely gone. Instead, she was focused entirely on the idea that she'd just had the best night of her life. She played with the corner of the page and closed her eyes with a wide smile, remembering the smile that - Troy, was it? - had given her as he got into the song. She remembered the thrill it gave her heart and the way that she opened up even just a little bit and sang back to him. It was something that she had never thought would happen to her in a million years outside of her daydreams. But it had.

She scrabbled for her cell phone and found his name, photo and number. All she had to do was hit one button and she'd be able to talk to him again. The thought seized her throat up and she irritably dropped the phone onto the sofa, only to pick it up again a second later, her finger hovering.

Her mom was still at the party, it would be going on for quite some time, yet. Gabriella was totally wired, so there was a good chance that her duet partner was, too. Maybe she would be doing him a favour by calling because he was so hyper that he was actually pacing the floors! Or, maybe he was-

Her phone shook and jumped in her hand with a text message. She didn't get many, so she looked down at it in shock. Was it her mom? It took her a few tries to get the little envelope on the screen to pop open:

NICE 2 MEET U 2NITE HNY It was him! What was he saying!? A quick Google search on the computer gave her the answer she should send back, but she hesitated before typing the keystrokes in. This wasn't her style. _Okay_ , she thought, _be cool._

NICE 2 MEET U 2 HNY She quickly sent the reply before she could change her mind about what she was doing. She was texting a boy! A boy she had sung with! The entire night was turning into one full of adventures.

R U STILL UP

Y

COME 2 THE GYM

Hardly able to believe what she was doing, Gabriella grabbed her hotel card, gave her reflection a nervous inspection, and was in the elevator before she could even process that this was even happening. _Oh God, oh God, oh God._

She found her way into the gym and heard the thumping and thwacking of a basketball. And there he was in all of his glory, jumping and shooting the ball around the court by himself, his mind totally focused on the task at hand. She shyly watched him until he took notice of her standing in the doorway and grinned.

There it was again! That heart-stopping smile. She sucked in a breath of air through her teeth and strode forward, suddenly wishing she had strapped on some heels instead of the ratty sneakers she had worn to the party. God, she was a mess.

"So, is this your world?" She asked.

"Yeah, this is pretty much it. Do you play?"

"Not really," she replied, her heart pounding hard as she got closer to him, "but, it's not that hard, right?"

Troy let out a deep and honest laugh, causing her to grin and giggle along, the nervousness shaking away and leaving her warm and fuzzy instead. With no warning, he threw the ball at her and she yelped and deflected it off to the side, where it bumbled away on the floor.

"That answers your question!" he teased.

He retrieved the ball and as he walked back to her, still at ease and smiling, she felt a flush come over her cheeks. She was no good at talking to boys. What was she supposed to do?!

"Did you finish your book?"

"No," she admitted. "I couldn't focus."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Troy idly threw the ball back and forth in his hands before heading towards the side of the gym. He slid down against the wall to the floor and drank water as she crossed to sit beside him, leaving what she hoped was an "okay" distance between them.

"So, did you make a New Year's Resolution?" she found herself asking. He was so comfortable with her, and she was all flushed cheeks and sweaty palms.

"I did, actually." Troy met her eyes and she found warmth and kindness there. "It's the first time, ever, actually."

"So, are you going to tell me?"

"Doesn't it have to be a secret?"

She laughed. "No, it's not a wish!"

"Okay, well, I decided that I want to do something that scares me this year. Something totally new and exhilarating. Like tonight. I want to feel that again, you know?"

Gabriella nodded enthusiastically. "I totally get it. I want that feeling again, too. I want to see just what everyone else feels when…"

Too late into her statement, she realized that she wasn't talking about getting on stage again. The idea terrified her. She wanted to see this boy again. She wanted to get to know him, to talk too him and get used to how free and happy she felt around him. She'd known him for, what, an hour? Already she knew that this was different than the other fleeting friendships that she'd had. This - _he_ \- was real.

They lapsed into silence and she leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. The adult's party was still thumping away a few floors away and she wondered if her mom had come up to check on her yet. She hadn't left a note or anything. When she opened her eyes again, Troy was actively watching her, his face curious.

"So, what's your New Year's Resolution?" He stared unabashedly at her and grinned again. God, he had a smile that could knock her right out.

"I-I want to make a lasting connection" she babbled. "I want to have real friends, real memories."

"Having someone who understands you is really important. But, having someone who will give you the strength to do new things, that's even more important." Troy rattled off, his face serious.

"You're very philosophical!"

"Not normally," Troy replied with a flicker of irritation. "normally I'm just the basketball guy."

"You are who you want to be." Gabriella quipped.

" _Now_ who's philosophical?" he shot back, nudging her shoulder with his.

They were quiet again. The gym was totally abandoned, and Gabriella hadn't seen a single person on her way here. Everyone was out celebrating with loved ones, while they sat side by side in a smelly gym. She snuck a glance at Troy to see that he was staring at her again, a smile creeping up his face when she caught him.

"I wish I weren't leaving tomorrow." he said suddenly.

"All holidays have to end." she reminded him. "But, I know what you mean. This has been the best holiday yet." _Oh God, I didn't just do that._ All of a sudden, she just wanted to get out of there. She cleared her throat, broke the hypnotizing gaze and flushed yet again.

"I-I guess I should go and find my mom." She got to her feet and brushed her jeans off.

Swinging his sandy hair off of his forehead, Troy leapt up beside her and grinned. "You've already used that as an excuse to leave once tonight." he grew more serious, "I wish you'd stay."

She understood the loneliness in his expression, though she doubted that he knew he was showing it to her. She felt the same echo in her chest that she saw written in his expression.

"I want to," she found herself saying, much to her own disbelief. What was it with her and babbling around him? "I've had a good time with you tonight. But, it's getting late and I don't want my mom to worry."

Troy ducked his head and nodded. She felt his disappointment. She had an overwhelming urge to reach out, and as soon as she thought it, her hand was all of a sudden reaching out and pressing on his arm. _No, no, no!_

Troy met her eyes with a smile and she jerked her hand back. Well, now she was officially a dork. So much for all the progress she had been making.

"You seem kind. You seem like the kind of person that I'd like to get to know better." he observed, not at all conflicted over her gesture.

"You are much more than just some basketball guy, Troy. Tonight has proved that."

They smiled at each other for a long moment, and Gabriella tried to capture the moment in her mind. She wanted to remember that there were guys with substance out there. She wanted to remember that each time she started a new school - like she would be after the holidays were over - a guy like Troy could exist and could actually like a girl like her.

"It was nice to meet you, Troy. I really hope you put that New Year's Resolution to the test."

"Likewise."

He stuck out his hand and she shook it. He held on a moment longer than necessary and squeezed her palm. "Talk soon?"

"Definitely" she confirmed and slowly walked away. Back in the hallway, she hugged her sweater to herself and pressed the elevator button in a fog. A smile was still on her face and was so distracted with her contentment, that she didn't notice that Troy was hurrying down the hallway until he stuck a hand between the closing doors to stop them.

Startled, she opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. "I know we'll never see each other again, and I hope that we're going to talk, but I know the chances are slim. So I'm just gonna do this now." She was still processing his speech as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year" she forced out, totally stunned, as he stepped back, grinned an adorably boyish grin and the door slid shut. And then he was gone.

They were almost home - if you could call an echoey home with a mountain of boxes waiting for the moving truck, home - when Gabriella got the courage up to text him. Tilting the face of her phone away from her mother, she found Troy's messages from last night and keyed out a message, doing away with the spellings that Google had helped her with before.

I FOUND A RINGTONE OF OUR SONG

OUR NEW THEME SONG he texted back right away. She grinned.

YUP

They messaged back and forth for the remainder of the day and evening as Gabriella packed her last boxes and got ready to for her last night in this city. She wouldn't miss it, and she was looking forward to starting off a new adventure where she could be anyone she wanted to be. This year certainly would be _The Start of Something New_.


End file.
